How I made Google love me

I’m a specialist with non-conforming loans, debt consolidation and tricky scenarios, so I made sure the focus of my new site was in these areas, rather than trying to be all things to all people. So many sites promote that they do everything. I saw that as a negative as I have always believed in specialising. I am trying to change the specialist market one client at a time, believing in education and advice not just a loan. I was taught many years ago to advertise narrowly and accept widely.

Loan Market provides great websites and layouts, but I realised that I had to make some changes if I wanted to improve my Google ranking. The generic websites come with the headings of ‘self-employed’, ‘first home buyer’, ‘investor’ and ‘refinancing’ – however I wanted to specialise in different areas, so the first thing I did was change my tabs. My new tabs are ‘debt consolidation’, ‘self-employed’, ‘credit impaired’ and ‘debt help’, which means I stand out from the crowd and don’t have to compete against other brokers. The content I've written is really all about giving help with debt, especially in my local area, so having these keywords really helps to boost my rankings.

Changing my website meant flying from Melbourne to Loan Market head office in Sydney. I discussed ideas with the marketing department, and then worked with the team to move around pages and headings, as well as add testimonials and keywords. I know other Loan Market brokers have also altered their sites, but I don’t think anybody has done it to the extent I have.

All the hard work quickly paid off. In the first week, I had five enquiries come through! I also send lots of people to my website through my social media posts, monthly newsletters and LinkedIn profile. My clients love that there's plenty of information on the website for them to find out more about things like debt consolidation and non-conforming loans. And rather than the public contacting me via the standard ‘contact a broker’ link, they now just call me direct.

The lesson here is that search engine optimisation, or SEO, is vital. Nobody uses the local paper or Yellow Pages to look for a service anymore – they just go straight onto the net via their smartphone. No one hires someone without having a quick look online, whether it’s a plumber or a broker. A good website means more business.

Peter Ellis, franchisee, Loan Market

Peter Ellis is a credit solutions specialist from Victoria with seven years’ experience who focuses on non-conforming lending. He realised a real need within Australia for a one-contract solution for individuals and families who have had a life event or not-so-clean credit history and want a way to end their financial frustration and pressures. He works with brokers from around Australia to make non-conforming a part of their business, whether by doing it with them or offering education and advice.